Day the university changed

Journal ArticleThe largest water-related library disaster in U.S. history occurred at Colorado State University's (CSU) Morgan Library in Fort Collins, Colorado on July 28, 1997. This flood was caused by a series of summer rainstorms that began the day earlier, July 27 - and lasted off and on for about 31 hours, culminating in a five-hour torrent that saturated the foothills surrounding Fort Collins with 10 to 14.5 inches of rainfall.

Origins of offset

Journal ArticleThe connection between this printed magazine you are reading and a discarded tin of tuna fish packed in oil or spring water is particularly fascinating, but requires a bit of historical sleuthing, and a brief excursion through the increasingly industrial 19th century

Utah Bookbindery

Journal ArticleBookbinders have historically challenged the abnormally-long hours required to generate a profit within their craft. A general strike among London bookbinders in 1786, for example, was organized to reduce the workday from 14 to 12 hours and bring bookbinding into line with comparable trades. The strikes instigators received two years imprisonment for their activities, but their tenacity paid off

Day the university changed

Journal ArticleDescribes the disaster recovery efforts in the Morgan Library of Colorado State University following the 1997 flood. Deals in detail with conservation and restoration of damaged book and journal collections

Litany of "terrible, no good, very bad" things that can happen after the disaster

PresentationThis paper summarizes post-disaster dangers that can threaten the well-being of recovery workers. These include the structural stability of damaged buildings, electrical risks, the presence of hazardous materials and collections in the work area, and biological hazards. Issues that need to be assessed before recovery work commences include each participant's personal fitness, the status of fire suppression systems, and problems related to obscuring evidence when the disaster site is also a crime scene. Implicit dangers in disaster recovery call for the use of the buddy system and require recovery personnel to appropriately protect themselves from threats to their respiratory system, vision, and hearing. Musculoskeletal injuries, fatigue, thermal stress, and risks associated with operating heavy equipment must also be addressed. Psychological issues can pose grave problems including dysfunctional behavior, post-traumatic stress, and rejection of assistance providers. Finally, unethica

Tsunami and Archives: The Unexpected Possibilities; Jakarta, Indonesia 17-18 July 2006

ManuscriptThe International Gathering on Tsunami and Archives, sponsored by the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI) and the International Council on Archives (ICA), was held in Jakarta, Indonesia 17-18 July 2006. The event was conducted in English and Indonesian and provided a venue for archivists from at least 25 countries to share with professional peers their experiences resulting from the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami, and other significant recent disasters, including the fire in Weimar's historic Duchess Anna Alima Library, and Hurricane Katrina in the U.S

Seven deadly sins of disaster recovery

ManuscriptDisaster response is largely about managing people. Human failings and vice can delay or derail library and archives recovery activities, causing irreparable damage to irreplaceable cultural property. Peter Waters' seven requirements for conducting successful disaster recoveries are contrasted with the Seven Deadly Sins to demonstrate the timeless nature of subversive factors at work in the disaster domain. Disaster planning is recommended as an indispensable alternative to running in circles

Towards a national disaster response protocol

Journal ArticleSince the Florence flood of November 4, 1966, the concept of an organized disaster response for cultural property has been a focus for conservators. In 1976, a decade after the Arno River had retreated from Florence's museums, libraries, and historic churches, a Library of Congress planning conference convened to initiate a U.S. national preservation program. At that meeting Stephen Salmon noted a "glaring . . . lack of preparedness for disaster[s] by almost all American libraries." 1 Now, forty years since that calamitous flood, little has changed in terms of being able to initiate a nationally coordinated plan in the face of calamitous events that threaten cultural property in all collecting institutions. In fact, it is now clearly recognized that only one in five cultural institutions has created an emergency response plan that encompasses collections,2 and it is likely that some or all of these plans will prove ineffectual in the case of a regional disaster. Furthermore, according to meteorologists at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, we now face in the next twenty to thirty years the possibility of stronger, more damaging storms capable of threatening our cultural institutions.

Carol Twombly on type

Journal ArticleThe appeal of an inviting building begins with its solid architectural space. So too with typography, that all-too-often unnoticed "architecture" implicit in the conveyance of the printed word. Viewed under magnification, bold, vertical stems clearly support cross bars like studs; spherical bowls open window-like onto the page; and serifs (or the lack), define the ceiling and foundation of each line

Gibbs Smith: progressive publisher

Journal ArticleThere is a country twang reverberating in the national blood stream at the moment. Resurgent interest in the American West has mainstreamed country music, drawn ever-larger crowds to the Buffalo Bill and Gene Autry museums, and landed Clint Eastwood two Oscars for his Unforgiven in 1992